Sore Lightning
by ZoneFics
Summary: Lucy cares for Erza after her injuries take their toll on her after the Thunder Palace incident. ONESHOT ErLu Fic.


Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me

Copyrighting not intended

Rewatching Fairy Tail from the beginning got me hyped up for a LucyxErza ship fic. And since the long LucyxErza fic I have started writing is not yet ready, I'm hoping this will take away some of that insane ship feels I have been getting so that I can write with a clear head.

This starts off really slow, but it'll get more shippy later on.

Enjoy!

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><p>Lucy sighed, trying not to move too much. Her muscles still ached from the countershock from Laxus' Thunder Palace Lacrima. It had been 2 days since Laxus had been stopped and exiled from the guild. While the town of Magnolia didn't notice the extra rowdiness from the guild during that period, the guild was still on its way to recovery, halting missions so that the members could recover from the aftereffects of the incident. It was a miracle how everyone could still participate in the parade, their injuries ony taking their toll the next day.<p>

Looking around, Lucy could see that everyone was still in moderate pain, the occasional groans that echoes as the guild members stretched a little too much or moved a little too much to the side. Simple things like bending over and sitting down was a pain to do and it was clear it was getting on most of the members' nerves. Yet, Fairy Tail still held a relatively light atmosphere considering that one of their members had almost destroyed the town.

Natsu, even though he had taken the brunt of Laxus's attacks, seemed to have somehow willed most of the the pain away, going about the guild as usual covered in bandages. Right now, he was having a manliness contest with Gray, who was injured as well. Both boys were trying to lift 6 kegs of beer each despite their muscles clearly protesting. Elfman was on the side, a little scraped up, and was egging them on to see who was manlier.

Lucy sighed. Those two will probably end up injuring themselves more than they already were, and healing magic probably won't be able to help them much after their crazy contest. Sipping on her drink, Lucy absentmindedly ran her fingers over Happy's back, the blue cat lying on the counter next to her, giving out grunts of approval has Lucy gently stroked the pain away.

"Nyaaa~~~" Happy let out with a sigh, a bright smile on his face

Laughing, Lucy continued her ministrations, the feline enjoying every moment of it. Turning her attention back to the guild, she spotted Gajeel in a corner, annoyed as Levy tried to treat him with remedies she had pulled out from her books. Though he clearly looked annoyed, Lucy knew that Gajeel had a soft spot for her best friend, and it was really sweet. Giggling slightly, Lucy watch Levy try to rub some sort of herb paste on the bulky iron dragon slayer, his face as green as the concoction in her hands.

"Lucyyyyy" a loud voice drawled from the corner

Turning her head, Lucy glanced over at Cana, who was slouched over the counter holding an empty beer mug. The drunk girl shook the empty mug at her, mumbling something. Cana had reluctantly swapped her usual beer keg for a mug of beer after realizing her muscles ached too much too handle the heavy barrel, which resulted in a constant need to refill the mug. Usually Mirajane would be tending to the bar, but she hasn't been at the bar in 2 days.

Lucy frowned. She hadn't seen Mirajane in two days. That was weird. Mirajane was always at the guild, rain or shine. Could it be that the shock from the lacrima had injured her badly?

"Nee Happy" Lucy questioned "Have you seen Mira?"

"Mirajane~~" Happy murmured out "Nope. She's not at the bar?"

"Happy, you're lying on the bar counter." Lucy raised an eyebrow

"Ahhhh~~ Maybe she's at Fairy Hills" Happy replied

Shaking her head, Lucy grimaced as she left her seat, leaving Cana calling for a refill and Happy mumbling on the counter. It was a slow walk to Fairy Hills. Her muscles still ached and it didn't help that Fairy Hills was at the top of a hill. Normally, this wouldn't have taken long, but with her legs feeling like a over tenderised turkey, it was a painfully slow walk to the top.

The dorm was empty when Lucy entered, no surprise, most of the girls headed down to the guild, regardless of how sore they felt. Something about the guild hall's atmosphere, Levy said, which made Lucy even more worried that Mirajane had not been at the guild.

"Mira?" Lucy called softly, knocking on her door, receiving no reply.

She was about to turn the knob when a creak came from behind her "Lucy? What are you doing here?"

"Mira!" Lucy smiled as she laid eyes on the young bartender "I was... uh... I was worried. I haven't seen you in 2 days. I was wondering if you were alright."

Looking at the young wizard before her, Lucy could tell that Mirajane was tired, like she hadn't been sleeping enough. There were slight bags under her eyes and they didn't shine as brightly as they used to, as though Mirajane was troubled by something.

Mirajane frowned slightly "Hm. I'm fine. Did no one tell you? I did tell the other girls that I wouldn't be at the guild for the next few days."

Looking at Lucy's sheepish face, Mirajane sighed "She's drunk again, isn't she? Really now. Let me guess. Levy is busy with Gajeel, Bisca is probably somewhere with Alzack."

Lucy nodded. As expected from Fairy Tail's bartender. she knew everyone's habits inside and out. Mirajane sighed once more. "Well since you're here, feeling up to giving me a hand?"

A curt nod from Lucy and Mirajane handed her the basket she carried. In it was a couple bottles of ointment and several towels. Mirajane herself carried a bucket of ice, and though it looked heavy,Mirajane seemed to have no trouble with it. Something was up. Everything pointed to a severe muscle pain alleviation recipe, but Mirajane seemed to doing just fine.

"Look.. keep this a secret from the guild ok?" Mirajane spoke softly "I don't want the others to worry."

"Is everything alright Mira?" Lucy questioned worriedly "Are you ok?"

"Its not me you should be worried about." came the sad reply.

It took a moment for the information to sink in, and by then, Mirajane had pushed open a door and entered. Lucy followed close behind, her eyes resting on the array of weapons and armors in the room.

"It..can't be... Erza..." Lucy whispered, almost in shock

Mirajane nodded to affirm Lucy's answer, gesturing to the red-head buried in her sheets. Her beautiful features were etched into a frown as her chest rose and fell with her laboured breathing, a sheen of cold sweat sticking her red hair to her skin.

Lucy was furious at herself. How could she not have noticed? Erza was one of her closest friends, yet, how did she not realize that she was in terrible condition? Her hands clenched tightly into fists at her side, her nails digging into her skin.

"Why didn't she say anything?"

"She didn't want anyone to worry about her." Mirajane replied, seating herself carefully at the edge of the bed. "Help me?"

Reaching for the small bottle of ointment, Lucy peeled back the covers. Her face heated up once more when she realized Erza was in nothing but her underwear underneath the covers. Mentally slapping herself, Lucy started to rationalize. It would be easier on Mirajane if Erza was not clothed when the ointment was applied to reduce the amount of discomfort for the injured mage.

Seating herself opposite Mirajane on the bed, being careful not to jostle the bed too much, Lucy gingerly lifted Erza's arm, wincing when the older girl groaned, her face scrunched up in pain. She quickly withdrew her hands, afraid of hurting Erza further.

"Don't worry. She's asleep. It won't hurt her too much." Mirajane spoke, her hands already at work rubbing the ointment in.

Even though Erza was asleep, or passed out, Lucy couldn't tell, she was secretly relieved, knowing that she would feel less guilty since she couldn't see Erza wince, but also grateful that Erza's couldn't see her rapidly reddening face as she moved to Erza's torso,

The S-class mage was well-endowed, everyone knew that. Lucy herself had seen Erza's curves, the latter showing little restraint against showing off her body. While Lucy had no qualms about showing off her own womanly figure, Erza goes just a couple steps further, feeling no shame in owning outfits such as bunny suits or bursting into the guild hall clad in nothing but a towel.

Running her hands over Erza's abdomen, Lucy could feeling the muscles beneath her fingers as Erza breathed, pushing the muscles up into Lucy's gentle touch. Lucy was never shy to admit her attraction for someone, and was pretty obvious to the people around her, all except the dense Fairy Tail crew. She once had a crush on Natsu that died once she saw the close relationship Natsu had with Lisanna. Gray was one of her crushes too, until Juvia dropped in and hounded Gray like a love sick puppy. Lucy had a fair share of crushes on boys, perfectly natural for a girl of her age, but surprisingly, Lucy never thought that she would be crushing on girls as well.

The first was Mirajane, when Lucy finally met the young model in person. Mirajane had shown her around and helped her get settled in the guild. As ditsy as Mirajane was, she was kind and everyone loved her, and so did Lucy until she met Erza Scarlet. It was hard not to fall for the beautiful S-class wizard. Strong, kind, warm, there was almost nothing that Lucy didn't like about Erza.

Her little crush had grown into a full blown attraction, something she tried very hard to keep under wraps. She had seen how people react to couples of the same sex, and she was almost certain that if her father hears about it, Fairy Tail would be wiped off the map quicker than she could blink even though she had already cut all ties with her father.

"Lucy, help me flip her over." Mirajane's voice cut into her thoughts.

Flushing lightly, Lucy helped Mirajane flip Erza over as gently as they could, her queen sized bed giving them sufficient space. Lucy noticed a couple of faint scars that marred Erza's beautiful skin, a testament to the battles she had fought, and survived. Once they were done, Mirajane quickly tucked Erza back under the covers, yawning as she did so.

"You look like you haven't slept" Lucy pointed out

"Can't help it. Someone needs to take care of Erza." Mirajane stifled another yawn

"I'll take over, you should get some rest." Lucy offered

"No, it's fine. I'll be .." Mirajane was cut off by another yawn. Sheepishly, she added "Maybe that isn't such a bad idea after all. If anything happens, call me."

Nodding, Lucy walked Mirajane to the door, exchanging goodbyes as Lucy closed the door behind her. She sighed. The room was quiet, with the exception of Erza's breathing. Spotting a bookshelf, Lucy decided to spend her time reading, only to abandon the idea once she saw the content of Erza's books. Levy did mention Erza had a weird fascination with erotic novels, but Lucy always thought it was an assumption rather than a fact.

With her first idea gone, Lucy took a walk around the overly large dorm room. She marveled at the sheer size of the whole area, knowing how expensive a room at Fairy Hills could be. She was barely paying her rent for her own room, clearly unable to afford to stay at Fairy Hills, not with most of the reward money going towards damage repair of the towns instead of their pockets.

As she walked further, Lucy came across Erza's weapon and armor collection, the blades and armors all gleaming in the light. Lucy recognized a few, the Heaven's Wheel, the Adamantine, and a couple more from when she went on missions with Erza, the latter saving their lives with her extensive collection. They were all well kept, well sharpened, well polished. It was clear Erza took extremely good care of her blades, a huge task considering how much she owned. Yet among the flawless gleaming items, there was one that caught Lucy's eye.

Charred black and covered in soot and dust, sitting on an armor stand was Erza's Heart Kreuz armor. Lucy ran her fingers lightly over the badly scratched metal, the soot coming off on her fingers. Looking around, Lucy started to spot the flawed blades in the room, the ones used to destroy the lacrimas, all dirty and chipped in some way. Lucy frowned. Taking another look at the armor had gotten her thinking.

After the battle, everyone still gathered for the parade. The members looked worst for wear, but all happily put in their best for the parade, especially Makarov, who had to expel his grandson from the guild. Lucy wondered why she didn't see the signs that pointed to Erza's pain, but no matter how many times she tried to remember, she couldn't think of anything.

Eventually, Lucy stopped thinking and laid on the couch and started to write using a pen and paper she had found in Erza's room. She couldn't really remember where she left off in her novel, so she just wrote whatever came to mind.

"Mira...?" a soft voice reached her ears

Jerking from her position on the couch, Lucy sent the stationary flying everywhere. Shaking her head, she realized she must have fallen asleep at some point.

"Mira...?" the voice came again, softer "Is that you?"

"Erza... Erza, you're awake!" Lucy smiled happily, going over as fast as she could "How are you feeling?"

"Lucy?" Erza whispered, clearly disoriented "What... What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of you, you big baka." Lucy replied, shaking her head with a smile "I was worried."

"I'm sorry for worrying you." Erza spoke once more, grunting as she tried to shift "You don't have to stay here. I'm fine, really."

"Erza, you can barely move. I'm not leaving" Lucy pressed her lips in a thin line "Nothing you say is going to get rid of me."

"I guess not." Erza gave up, resigned, knowing that she could never win, not in the state she was in.

"It was reckless you know, taking on 200 alone." Lucy spoke, playing with Erza's hair "It could have killed you."

"I had to save Magnolia." came the reply "Besides, you were more reckless than I was, flying up to destroy the lacrima. What if you got shocked before you hit the ground, you could have died."

Lucy turned red, the thought never once crossing her mind. "I didn't think about that."

"Thank you." Erza smiled the best she could "I don't think we would have destroyed Thunder Palace without your help."

"What! No, it was everyone working together that saved the town." Lucy shook her head

"If it wasn't for your speech, no one would have worked together. So, you saved the town."

Turning away, Lucy blushed from the compliment, jumping slightly when she felt Erza's fingers' brushing the hair from her face.

"Erza.." Lucy felt her heart leap out of her chest from the contact. No. It was a bad time for her feelings to show.

"I knew you were special."

"Erza would have gotten everyone to work together too." Lucy tried to stop her heart from pounding too much

"Not the way you have." Erza shook her head "They would have listened, yes, but out of fear. They would have continued their bickering regardless."

"Well... I don't fear you." Lucy replied, feeling a little bolder

"Thank you. That... means a lot" Erza smiled warmly, her hands resting on Lucy's

By now, Lucy was certain that all the blood in her body had rushed to her face. She leaned over, pushing Erza's bangs away from her clammy forehead, where they seemed to be uncomfortably stuck to. Lucy watch herself lean forward, having no control over her own body. Her feeling were leading her actions, and she was willingly giving or her scream at her to go ahead, act on the feeling she had kept buried for too long, the other part demanded she stop taking advantage of Erza's weak condition. Erza wasn't stopping her, one side argued. She was too weak to stop her, the other side argued back.

Their faces were inches apart when the door creaked open. Lucy jumped back in surprise, accidentally causing the bed to jostle a little too much and its occupant grunted in discomfort.

"Hey. How's everything?" Mirajane entered "Oh... Erza, you're up"

Striding over, she quickly placed her hand on Erza's forehead, the worry on her face ceasing when she concluded that the red-faced girl was not having a fever. Turning to Lucy, she raised an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter, Lucy? Your face is red." Mirajane questioned

"I'm fine!" Lucy responded a little too quickly

Mirajane said nothing, and Lucy knew Mirajane was on to her little lie.

"I uh... just..." Lucy stammered trying to pull out a reason from her head "accidentally grabbed a book to read from Erza's shelf."

The young bartender burst into laughter, seeing that Lucy's face had turned horribly red, seemingly accepting the explanation. Nodding, she ceased her laughter, a wide grin on her face.

"Thank you Lucy" Mirajane bowed her head slightly "Seems like I really needed that nap."

"Yeah no problem. Glad to help." Lucy backed up, heading for the door "I guess I'll be going now. Since its well... kinda late."

Lucy walked towards the door, breathing hard to keep her unsatisfied feelings under control.

"Lucy. Bring that book you promised to read tomorrow." Erza called from her bed

Lucy whirled around in confusion, but quickly grinned brightly as she caught on "Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow!"

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><p>That was their routine. Lucy dropped by Fairy Hills early each morning, caring for Erza until Mirajane returned from the guild in the evening. There wasn't really much to do but talk, the two girls talking about everything under the sun. It seemed like their almost kiss never happened. Almost.<p>

Erza was now well enough to sit up in bed, and moving her arms and back weren't was painfully impossible as before. She still couldn't walk, Mirajane concluding that it would probably take a few more days for Erza to be back to full mobility, Lucy wasn't complaining. The celestial mage swore Erza was teasing her constantly by flirting with her, and it killed her to not know if it was on purpose or if Erza was just being Erza. Regardless, Lucy felt like they were getting closer, as friends at the very least.

"Hey Lucy. Could I speak with you for a moment." Mirajane asked just before Lucy left as usual

"Sure what's up?" Lucy followed Mirajane into another room

"You think you could stay the night here?" Mirajane asked slightly nervous "Like tonight."

"Sure, is something the matter?" Lucy replied worriedly

"Nothing!" Mirajane chuckled slightly "I have a date tonight, and I really want to go so..."

"Who's the lucky one." Lucy teased

"You'll see" Mirajane retorted cheekily "Thanks again Lucy!"

As Mirajane closed the door behind her, Lucy swore she caught sight of a long haired brunette outside before the door slammed shut. Shaking her head with a smile, Lucy returned to Erza's side and picked up the open book they had been reading.

"What was that all about?" Erza asked curiously, noticing the change in plans

"Mira, "Lucy started with a grin "has a date tonight."

"Oooo" Erza leaned forward, her interest peaked "With who?"

"Don't know." Lucy shrugged "Your guess is as good as mine, but I dare say it Cana."

"Cana?!" Erza spluttered out "Hm... Odd choice, but I can see it happening. Mira never did draw the line between genders."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, but didn't go further. Unfortunately, bringing up the topic led to a whole different conversation.

"How many people have you dated?" Erza asked, causing Lucy to stutter an answer. "Since we're on this topic."

"Me?" Lucy inwardly cringed at the topic, but kept in going to avoid suspicion. "Uh.. I've dated a few guys when i was in school, nothing serious though. How about you?"

Erza shrugged "None."

"What about Jellal?" Lucy was surprised

The red-haired girl cringed slightly "Nope. Didn't get the chance to"

"But would you? I mean if you had the chance." Lucy didn't know why her mouth was spouting questions she didn't want the answer to, but she couldn't stop.

Erza hesitated, her brow slightly furrowed "I would... previously, but now.. No. I don't think I would"

"Why not?"

"I don't think a long distance relationship would work out" Erza shook her head "Besides, we're too different."

"Well sometimes two different people can get together." Lucy replied, setting down the forgotten book and moving into a more comfortable position for the conversation.

"Like you and Natsu?" Erza poked, a smirk on her face

"WHAT?!" Lucy almost fell of the bed in shock "What makes you think that Natsu and I are compatible?"

"He's always hanging around you, and you're always on missions together." Erza replied, furrowing her brows as she shifted positions.

"Natsu is just being Natsu" Lucy shook her head "Besides, we go on a lot of missions together too. If spending time together is a reason to be compatible, you and me would be perfect together."

The room fell into silence as both girls processed Lucy's final statement. The celestial mage had turned beet red. She had not intended to say what she did, but her mouth got the better of her. She averted her eyes, not wanting to look at Erza. The re-equip mage, on the other hand, remained silent, lips pressed together.

"You think we should get together?" Erza asked quietly

"No!" Lucy blurted out, slightly more forceful than intended "I.. I mean.. I didn't mean it that way.. I uh...erm..."

"Do you want to?"

The question caught Lucy off guard, turning her eyes upwards to meet Erza's. For the first time, Lucy saw the amount of emotion in Erza's gaze, and she faltered. Her brain was working in overdrive. She could feel her vocal chords tensing as a lump formed itself in her throat. Tears threatened to fall as her brain brought her through all the possible rejections she might face. Lucy clenched her fists, it was now or never.

"Yes." She mumbled so soft she was sure Erza didn't hear it.

She was proven horribly wrong when soft fingers lifted her chin, and a pair of lips gently pressed to hers. It was gone as quickly as it had happened "Good, cause I do too."

Another kiss was initiated, this time more forcefully as Lucy pressed into the kiss. Halfway, Erza grunted and pulled back, pain flashing across her features.

"Lucy, your hand." Erza hissed painfully

The celestial mage lifted her hand quickly from where it was painfully pressing onto Erza's thigh. Somewhere during the kiss Lucy must have rested her hand on Erza's thigh unknowingly, causing the red-head much discomfort.

"Sorry." Lucy mumbled out, still dazed from the kiss.

Erza gently tugged on Lucy's hand, and Lucy soon found herself curled up beside Erza, being careful not to kick her healing legs.

"What does this mean?" Lucy asked quietly, taking in Erza's scent

"I don't know. You're the more experienced one." Erza responded, lightly playing with Lucy's hair.

Lucy flushed, nuzzling closer to Erza "Why me?"

"I told you, you're special" Erza responded honestly "I want to keep you safe."

"I can keep myself perfectly safe, Erza Scarlet!" Lucy rose in mock anger, a teasing smile in her face "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have someone watch my back, besides, someone need to keep you out of trouble."

Lucy dipped her head and captured the Titania's lips with her own, their bodies melding together as the world faded around them. They didn't go any further than a heated make out session out of concern for Erza, but both girls wanted more and by the heavens once Erza was healed, almost nothing could stop them.

"Don't go anywhere" Lucy whispered, their foreheads pressed together as they caught their breaths

"I'm here to stay, Lucy, always" Erza lifted herself, closing the gap to give Lucy a chaste kiss before falling back onto the bed, tired.

"And by the gods if you ever decide to do something so suicidal again, I'll... I'll " Lucy blurted out angrily as she fell back onto the bed, unable to finish her sentence

"I hate you" Lucy grumbled, annoyed that she couldn't form a proper sentence to reprimand her lover.

"I love you too." Erza pressed a kiss to the younger girl's forehead, pulling her closer

That was how Mirajane found them the next morning, contentedly cuddled up in bed, Lucy's head resting on Erza's chest, arms wrapped around each other. Mirajane smiled, her own unkempt look forgotten. Quietly she stumbled back to her room, shrugging off the jacket she had haphazardly thrown on in haste and fell back into bed, snuggling next to the slender body next to her, contented to sleep over the hangover she had been sporting since she first woke up.

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><p><strong>A quick little oneshot for all the ErzaxLucy shippers out there!<strong>

**The End!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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